Ribbon roses

Just like the fondant carrots these little roses are a great way to use up spare bits of fondant. They make very cute cupcake toppers but could also be used to decorate biscuits or full sized cakes. They are very easy to make and as they are made from fondant can be kept in a cool dry place for up to a month. If you have never used fondant before then check out the homemade fondant post for some useful tips. 

Begin by colouring your fondant using gel colouring. If you are going to make leaves to go with your roses then colour some fondant green. Remember when you are working with fondant to keep all icing that you are not using wrapped in cling film to prevent crusting. If you would like your fondant to harden quicker then knead a bit of Tylo powder into it before you begin. 

1. Begin by rolling your fondant out so that it is very thin (1-2mm thick)
2. Cut the rolled out fondant into thin strips. The small you cut your strips the smaller the ribbon rose will be. 
3. Fold your strip in half.
4. Roll the fondant along the length of the strip until your rose is the size you would like. Once the rose is finished then twist off the end. You can either roll your fondant so the folded or the open side becomes the face of the rose. I think both are beautiful but play around and see what you prefer.

I found some little leaves make these roses even prettier so here is how to make some very simple ones:

1. roll a small piece of fondant into a ball.

2. shape the ball into a triangular shape.

3. using a modelling tool or a cocktail stick to mark the central vein onto the leaf.

4. Your leaf is finished so store in a cool dry place until you are ready to use them.

I used my ribbon roses to decorate chocolate brownie cupcakes. They look great either with two little ones and a leaf or one larger one. If you give these a go then I would love to see how they turned out and what you used them to decorate. 

Happy baking xxx